As a youngster, June was a most welcome month, largely because it meant school was out for another year and the wonderful days of summer were about to begin. The neighborhood ball field was in our backyard, and the local swimming hole was just a short walk from the front yard. And in just about every other direction there were fields and woods to explore and enjoy. Even then, I know I appreciated having the opportunity to grow up in the country.
Several decades later, I still look to the coming of summer with a heightened sense of wonder and discovery. Whether it's a familiar activity such as fishing for smallmouths on the Juniata River or a new trek along a different ridge top just to see what lives there, this month and those that follow seem to hold an open invitation to explore and enjoy the outdoors, just as those boyhood summers did years ago. Only now, the range of those explorations can be greatly expanded, which only serves to add to the excitement.
One of the things that allows me and all other like-minded folks to experience the remarkable diversity we have in the outdoors of Pennsylvania is the vast amount of lands that have been set aside in the public interest. These millions of acres offer everyone a special place to visit and enjoy. And even more remarkable, there is no charge to do so.
As a hunter, I'm especially fond of our state game lands system and the designated public hunting ground it provides. The first game lands were purchased in 1920. By 1936, the total acreage of state game lands was 500,000 acres, and by 1965, one million acres of state game lands had be set aside. Today we have 1.4 million acres in Pennsylvania, most of which was purchased with hunting license dollars, yet they are open to everyone who enjoys the outdoors for things such as hiking or bird and wildlife watching.
The Pennsylvania state forest system comprises another 2.1 million acres of public land. In addition to hunting and fishing, our state forests provide a diverse range of opportunities for outdoor recreation during any season of the year.
Our state park system began in 1893. By 1955, there were about 45 state parks in Pennsylvania. At that time, Department of Environmental Resources Secretary Maurice K. Goddard set the lofty goal of establishing a state park within 25 miles of every citizen in Pennsylvania. Goddard's worthy vision has largely been realized with today's 117 state parks throughout Pennsylvania, totaling almost 300,000 acres. And while most of these parks preserve some of our best natural areas, some also preserve significant historical places as well.
So through the foresight of many leaders throughout the last century who took the initiative to set aside significant amounts of public land, we have plenty of wonderful and unique places to visit in the outdoors of Pennsylvania. And we should have for generations to come.
With so much to choose from, I'm often in a quandary about what to see or discover each summer. This year I have two items on my to-do list. A few weeks ago while looking for some information on the state parks section of the DCNR Web site, I came across a page titled "Twenty Must-See Pennsylvania State Parks." After seeing that list, I realized that I had visited nine of those parks at some time in my travels and that they were indeed special and interesting places. So one of my goals is to see another three or four of those on the list this year, and ultimately all twenty of those parks.
Another thing I want to accomplish this summer is to fish all five of the major smallmouth rivers in Pennsylvania and next door in Maryland and West Virginia: Susquehanna, Juniata, Allegheny, Delaware, and Potomac. This will be the third summer that fishing those "Big Five" has been on my list, but for one reason or another, three of them are the most I have been able to get to in a single year. But if other things distract me from fishing all five again this year, that tour will simply go back on the list for next summer.